Cinemafest to feature local, international films

POLSON – The fifth annual Flathead Lake International Cinemafest kicks off this weekend in Polson with a large offering of local films.

This year’s schedule features more than a dozen Montana-made movies, ranging from feature-length dramas to a 30-second claymation short.

Festival Co-Chair David King said it’s the strongest showing of Big Sky-based films he can recall at the event, which runs Friday through Sunday at Showboat Cinemas.

Making the cut are several homemade projects from area residents.

Polson filmmaker Jim Ereaux’s entry “The Walk” documents his journey by foot across Northern England.

Composed of a series of still images set to poetry, the film traces Ereaux’s journey along a classic route used by travelers for centuries.

Ereaux, an avid long-distance backpacker, said he was drawn to the idea of traversing the countryside from village to village with nothing but a rucksack on his back.

“It was basically a giant pub crawl,” he said.

While the images taken along the way show the diverse beauty of the English countryside, Ereaux said the genesis of the film came from a different kind of inspiration.

“I don’t see the pictures as the main part,” he said. “It’s the poetry.”

After a few solitary days on the trail, Ereaux said he came up with the idea of tying the images together with the work of poets from the region.

When he returned home, Ereaux recruited University of Montana English Professor David Moore and Polson resident cheese maker Joe Arnold to lend their voices to the project.

The film is Ereaux’s third entry into the cinemafest, which has provided the long-time photographer with a new platform for sharing his work. Although Ereaux made his first movie in high school, he took a hiatus from the screen for several decades. With the emergence of a local venue, however, Ereaux has returned to the craft as both a filmmaker and the festival’s “technical guru.”

“I do it for the community,” he said.

Another locally produced picture poised to make a splash among viewers is the documentary “RezMaDe,” which follows photography students from Two Eagle River High School on a trip to New York City.

Directed by Rob McDonald, the film combines raw footage with introspective interviews among the students, many of whom had never traveled to a big city before.

McDonald, who works as the communications director for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, said he was drawn to the project after seeing videographer Caato Matt sift through the hours of tape he shot during the trip.

After watching one of the students experience his first ride on a subway, McDonald said something clicked.

“I could see his mind being blown right before my eyes,” McDonald said. “It started occurring to me that there were little gems here.”

McDonald compiled the footage and conducted interviews with the students, drawing on some skills he learned during his career as a journalist.

“When you talk to a teenager you don’t always get very long answers,” he said. “I was trying to ask direct, proposing questions.”

Through the process, McDonald said he was able to extract amazing insights from the students concerning art and their perception of life off the reservation.

Trip organizer and instructor David Spear, who directs the Pablo-based A VOICE art outreach program, said the experience exposed the budding photographers to another side of the industry. The students visited the historic collections at the Museum of Modern Art, met with professionals and even displayed their own work at a public showing.

Despite initial nervousness, Spear said the teenagers found a common thread with their big city counterparts.

“They discovered a common ground, and that they were photographers as well,” he said.

Since returning from the trip in April, Spear said he’s noticed significant development in the students’ work.

“They’ve evolved a lot,” he said.

As New York Times photography blog Editor David Gonzalez tells them in the film, “It’s time for us that have those skills to step up. You got to start telling your stories…If you don’t tell them somebody else will, and they’ll get it wrong.”

Such story telling will be on full display starting Friday.

The Flathead Lake International Cinemafest will feature a total of 60 films submitted from eight different countries. David King said about 15 filmmakers will host post-screening discussion and awards will be given for various categories, including best feature and viewers choice.

King said the festival has grown steadily over its five-year history, and now attracts a surplus of submissions. And if this year is any indication, the event advertised as “the most beautiful film festival in the world” will continue to grow.

“We’ve reached capacity,” he said. “We either need to expand the number of days, or expand the venue.”